1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for opening/closing process chamber doors of ovens used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. More particularly, the invention relates to the apparatus for opening/closing the path through which a cassette passes in the oven where wafers are hard baked after being subjected to a wet etching process.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, semiconductor devices are fabricated using multiple repeated processes such as photolithography, etching, thin film formation, and hard baking processes that follow wet etching processes. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a conventional oven for performing the hard baking process. The baking process is performed in a process chamber 1 where multiple wafers 2 are loaded into a cassette 3, and the inside of which is heated to the desired temperature.
A ventilator 4 at the bottom of the process chamber 1 forces the inside air to circulate along an air flow path 5. The air is heated by means of a heater 6 in the air flow path 5, and therefore the temperature of the air is raised to the desired process temperature. A filter 7 at the top of the process chamber 1 removes foreign substances from the air before the air enters the inside of the chamber.
In addition, an opening 8 through which the cassette 3 is passed, penetrates the process chamber 1, and is sealed by a door 9. One end of the door 9 is connected to the process chamber 1 by a hinge 10, the other end having a handle 11 for opening/closing the door manually.
Such a manual door operating method results in reduced operating efficiency due to the user's direct operation of the door sealing the opening 8. Also, the wafer and its periphery are contaminated by particles resulting from the abrasion of the hinge 10, which is easily broken because of the weak connecting structure, thereby requiring the oven to be taken out of service for repairs. Additionally, the user risks burns when the door 9 is accidentally opened.